Pages

Friday, August 28, 2015

New Kindle Sample Files

Two new Kindle sample files have been added to the free downloads over on my main website. All of the sample and template files have been collected together on the Tutorial Index & Resources page for easier access, and I've made all of them free now, rather than requiring a download code.The two new files are based on the Simple and Advanced templates, but both been slightly revised with new content and notes to augment and illustrate the features available in that particular format.The 8-page "Basic Layout" sample uses the "comic" book-type with the auto-orientation function enabled to showcase the fact that it includes both single and two-page spreads, with and without an inner margin between them. It has no active text, no hyperlinks, and no text or image pop-ups, which cannot be added if you want these two-page layouts. It also illustrates how the Virtual Panels feature works to zoom a page, or page spread, in equally divided sections that can be swiped in sequence.The 16-page "Zoom Features" sample is based on the Advanced template, but with the orientation locked to portrait, since in order to have region magnification you cannot have page spreads, so there's little point in making landscape available (unless the pages themselves are landscape, which these aren't). This sample showcases all of the more complex features that are currently available in Kindle fixed layouts with no book-type value added. These include both text and image hyperlinks, a linked Table of Contents page (as well a menu TOC), live text with full functionality, several methods of switching text and images for "interactive" animations, a new bilingual text example, comic panel zoom with live text in both the default and magnified regions, and "lightbox" shading both within and outside zoom areas, as well as others. Note that the interactive features do not work well on the Kindle for PC app due to its incorrect positioning of active links, so this sample must be read on an actual Kindle device.While the companion templates have previously included both the epub source code file as well as a pre-converted mobi for reference, they will henceforth only contain the template epub file itself. Since it can be converted easily into a mobi file itself there's little reason to waste the bandwidth. And while I make these available for free, I still have to pay for file hosting and delivery, which is why I had previously charged a minor fee to those who have not purchased my formatting manual. Splitting the epub and mobi files into two separate downloads will allow me to better track what is being used and what not to waste my time updating further.My ulterior rationale for doing this is to make these sample files more readily available for potential ebook formatting clients, to whom I send the file if they're unsure what features they want included in their project. It's often just easier to show than to explain how something works.Finally, for those who have purchased my Kindle formatting book, there will be a new revised edition released shortly, with several updates due to the changes caused by the latest Kindle firmware upgrades, as well as some editorial revision for clarification and the elimination of a few sections that are no longer relevant. I will post when the new edition is available, and send out an email to those who have purchased though my website. Those of you who have bought the book on Amazon will have to deal with their tedious file replacement process, which has not gotten better. But more on that when the time comes.